Till Eulenspiegel - N N Theater Köln Freiluftfestival 2026

With TILL EULENSPIEGEL, we revisit one of the most famous figures in European cultural history.  The wordsmith and keen observer. Seducer and jack-of-all-trades. Juggler, thief, and buffoon. Reduced to a figure of fun, degraded to a clown. Myth, devil, and object of longing.

In 1510, Hermann Bote laid the foundation for the character of Till Eulenspiegel with his 96 stories. Ever since, Till has held up a mirror to society—sometimes cunningly, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously.

Till was born into an era marked by oppression, strict regulation, and blind submission. Added to this were the all-powerful rule of the clergy and the arbitrary rule of princes and feudal lords. When his father is executed after being denounced, he breaks free from this world and rebels against the rules—against the powerful, against stupidity.

With sharp wit and an irrepressible love of performance, Till mercilessly exposes greed, vanity, and hypocrisy. And in the end, it remains as it always has been: He who laughs last laughs best!

The audience can look forward to a dazzling theatrical spectacle—full of the joy of performance, rapid-fire role changes, live music, and a dizzying roller coaster of nonsense and meaning, excitement, and color.